A major water main break at John F. Kennedy International airport in New York has led to a terminal evacuation and even more headaches at an airport already experiencing turmoil in the wake of Blizzard 2018. International travel was shut down as a result of the break.
JFK airport just cannot get a break
As if it couldn’t get worse, videos show water filling the floor in front of stacks of passenger suitcases and bags. Some have dubbed the situation at JFK pure “chaos.” Wrote one frustrated man on Twitter, “JFK amazingly continues to find ways to create an even more miserable travel experience.”
Una fuga de agua inunda una parte del aeropuerto JFK de Nueva York t.co/kK77lMpEVK
Tensions at the airport continued to grow. “Police were called in to break up ‘disturbances’ caused by furious passengers who have been stranded at the John F Kennedy International for nearly two days as a terminal is evacuated due to flooding,” Daily Mail reported.
Water main break causes flooding at New York’s JFK Airport, which is already suffering from days of delays and chaos t.co/qUmVXsUvyY
According to CNN, the water main break “flooded a baggage claim area at JFK International Airport in New York on Sunday afternoon, soaking stranded travelers’ luggage and shutting down down international fights into Terminal 4.”
Kennedy airport wrote on Twitter on January 7: “A water main break at Terminal 4 at JFK Airport has led to a shutdown of international flights into the terminal. Passengers are urged to contact their airlines for specific flight information.”
Water leak floods JFK Airport baggage claim, forces evacuation – CNN t.co/90BeWSVz1p
CNN noted that the water main break was just the latest in a series of problems causing headaches at the airport. “The water leak occurred at a bad time for the airport, which was jammed with frustrated travelers whose flights were delayed or canceled by the bitter cold that has gripped the East Coast,” reported CNN.
Water main break at JFK terminal forces evacuation t.co/FvBQK4HPJN
Around 2:30 p.m. on January 7, the airport tweeted, “@JFKairport Terminal 4 update: – No international arrivals at this time – International departures not affected – AirTrainJFK operating normally – Taxis rerouted to departure level – Traffic heavy into T4 – Passengers advised to contact their airline for flight status.”
Water main breaks shuts down terminal at JFK airport, causing even more delays after winter… t.co/q1CgqXUYIa
JFK and LaGuardia were both briefly closed during the blizzard, which caused delays to many travelers. The Port Authority for New York and New Jersey described the problems in a tweet: “On Saturday 1/6/18 at @JFKAirport, there were 1,008 arrivals and departures, plus 94 canceled flights. Yesterday’s extreme cold, amid the ongoing recovery from Thursday’s storm, created a cascading series of issues for the airlines and terminal operators,” the authority wrote.
New footage shows flooding at New York’s JFK Airport after water main break; scores passengers stuck on planes – WABC
The problem moved from heavy snowfall to bitter wind chill by the weekend. The Port Authority continued to list the problems faced – and that was before the water main break: “These included frozen equipment breakdowns, difficulties in baggage handling, staff shortages, and heavier than typical passenger loads. These challenges left passengers on planes for extensive periods, as the airlines and terminal operators experienced delays in getting aircraft in and out of gates. Many aircraft experienced long delays in reaching gates, particularly international flights at Terminals 1 and 4. The Port Authority provided buses to bring passengers to the terminal from 25 planes at Terminals 1 and 4.”
Water main break shuts down international travel at JFK airport in New York City t.co/fXYhRjOIJf
Some people were lucky enough to get off planes, but others were stuck.
Got caught up in the water main break at JFK. Thankful we got off plane & through customs (we were some of the last few)! Hoping for a quick clean-up/fix for those stuck!!!!
It’s not clear how long there will be delays in the terminal affected by the water main break. You can follow JFK airport on Twitter here.